Picking Up The Pieces
by vamp926
Summary: After spending the perfect night together Tony is shot and goes into a coma. Ziva must deal with discovering that she's pregnant and the very real possibility of raising a child by herself. TIVA, pre-Judgement Day....
1. The Beginning

**A/N: So, just to warn you, this isn't wait you would normally see in a story, but I got this idea and since my professors are encouraging us to write outside of our box, so I gave it a try. This is sort of like a poem, and if you really wanted to, I guess you could call it that, but I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The Beginning

Panting, heavy breathing, sweat soaked sheets.  
The feeling of dread still permeates the air to her.  
Shivers up and down spines.  
Whispered words of promise sleep in each other's arms.  
Nightmares of death and destruction plague one of them. (1)

The next day, a phone call, a sighting, adrenaline pounds.  
Preparation, guns, and badges, and jackets.  
No flak, no one thinks it will be needed. (2)

Jokes in the car, secrets flash between shining green and brown eyes.  
Blue eyes watch suspiciously from the mirror.

The building stands abandoned, not used at all.  
Spilt the team, partners with partners. (3)  
Never saw it coming, blood pooling, spreading across the pavement.(4)  
Last whispered words of love.

* * *

**So now, I will explain everything.**

**1.) Obviously, since this, Tony and Ziva are having sex. Ziva has had a bad feeling all night long but Tony's tells her to relax and they end up having sex. Afterwards, when they fall asleep, Ziva has nightmares.**

**2.) Flak is the bulletproof vest. They were going to apprehend a non threatening suspect, so no one even thought about wearing vests.**

**3.) What I mean by "split the team, partners with partners" is the usual pairing, Tony with Ziva and McGee with Gibbs. **

**4.) Tony was shot.**

**I hope you liked this perspective and the rest of the chapters will be in normal storytelling format. Chapter Two will pick up with the team at the hospital waiting for news about Tony. Please review. I am eager to here your views on my little experiment. **


	2. Calling All Angels

Calling All Angels

What happened after Tony was shot was a blur to Ziva. She vaguely remembered Gibbs pulling her off of Tony's body as the paramedics rushed to help. She remembered Gibbs handing her over to McGee who led her to the car.

The next thing she remembered was being enfolded in Jenny's arms as they waited at the hospital to hear some news about Tony. Jenny was the only one that knew about Ziva and Tony, seeing as she was one of Ziva's best friends. Ducky was sitting in the corner with Abby who had black tears running down her face. Gibbs was pacing the length of the waiting room. McGee had gone down to the cafeteria to get coffee for everyone and to see if he could find a Caf-Pow for Abby.

Right after McGee returned from his coffee hunt, a doctor walked into the waiting room and looked around.

"Family for Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo?" he asked. Everyone stood up. The doctor eyed them suspiciously but continued anyway. "I'm Dr. Pratt, I was Agent DiNozzo's attending. Agent DiNozzo was shot several inches to the right of his heart and sustained a massive blood loss. We lost him on the table for several minutes. After he was stable we sent him up to surgery to remove the bullet. He's out of surgery but remains in a coma. The surgery attendants have moved him to the long term ICU. There is no way of telling when and even if, Agent DiNozzo will wake up."

When she heard that, fear squeezed Ziva's heart and she desperately tried to choke back her tears.

"Can we see him?" Abby asked from her corner.

"Yes, but they'll only let you in two at a time, and only for a few minutes," Dr. Pratt said.

"Thank you," Gibbs said, already on his way to the elevator.

* * *

McGee took Abby in first to see Tony. Abby's face was still streaked black from her makeup and her ponytails were in disarray. She leaned over Tony and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Tony," she whispered. "You have to wake up. I can't take this stress. I can't lose you, you're like my brother." Abby squeezed his hand and then turned towards McGee. "Tell him," was all she said.

"Tony, we need you," McGee said. "I wouldn't care if you woke up right now and called me every name you could think of. Wake up." Abby smiled at McGee's statement.

"Even if he made fun of you for Deep Six?" Abby asked.

"Even if he made fun of me for Deep Six," McGee said.

* * *

Next to go in were Gibbs and Ducky. Ducky picked up Tony's chart at the end of the bed and paged through it while Gibbs stared at Tony. Emotions welled up in Gibbs's chest, and yet he was unable to express them. He had always thought of Tony as a son and seeing him lay there on the hospital bed was more than Gibbs could handle. Gibbs leaned over Tony's motionless body and slapped him on the head lightly.

"DiNozzo, you definitely can't die, and you definitely are not allowed to die," Gibbs said. Ducky patted Tony's feet.

"Wake up soon, my dear boy," Ducky said and then he and Gibbs left.

* * *

After Gibbs and Ducky were done, Jenny and Ziva went in. Jenny excused herself to the bathroom in an attempt to give some privacy to Ziva. Ziva sat down next to Tony's bed and took his hand in hers.

"Tony," Ziva whispered, the tears that had been threatening all night to spill over now doing so. "I can't live without you. I've lost to many people in my life." Just then, Jenny appeared from the bathroom. Ziva quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes on the back of her hand and sniffled a little bit. Jenny gave Ziva a small sad smile.

"It'll be alright," Jenny said, placing her hand on Ziva's shoulder. "He has too much to live for." Ziva stood up and leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek, being careful not to bump his trach tube.

"I love you," Ziva whispered and then left.

* * *

The next day Jenny gave the whole team a day off, including Ducky and Abby. Abby went to the hospital and wasted no time in personalizing Tony's room. She brought Bert and placed him under Tony's arm and she had bought two dozen black roses which she set on his bedside table. Black and red balloons bumped against the ceiling in the corner and a black teddy bear sat on the top of Tony's bed.

McGee had went to Tony's apartment and brought him season one of Magnum which was playing softly in the background.

Ziva had brought in several pictures. One of them was her and Tony and it looked they like were arguing. Another was one of the whole team at the Christmas party. Tony had his arm slung around Ziva with a drunken smile on his face. Abby was perched on McGee's lap and Jenny had just jumped on Gibbs's back right before the picture had been taken. Ducky was standing in the middle of everyone, a beaming smile on his face. The last picture that she had brought surprised everyone. It was a picture of the old team, a picture with Kate. Tony, Kate, and McGee were leaning up against the bumper of the truck and Gibbs was in the middle of head slapping Tony. Abby was actually sitting on the hood of the truck. When Abby saw it, she smiled.

"I had forgotten about that picture, where did you find it?" Abby asked.

"When I started working here, I cleaned out Kate's desk. It was in the bottom of one of the drawers," Ziva said. McGee looked at it closer.

"I remember that day. Tony was getting head slapped because he had told Abby to sit on the hood of the truck after Gibbs had told him no. I think Ducky took the picture," McGee said. Abby turned and smiled at Ziva.

"Thanks for bringing these," she said and then she threw her arms around Ziva, who, surprisingly, returned the hug.

* * *

**Thank you guys for your patience. My life is a little crazy what with school and work. I try my hardest. The next chapter will jump three months ahead where Ziva will discover that she's pregnant. Please review. **


	3. Accidental Love

Accidental Love

**Three Months Later…**

Ziva stared at the plastic stick sitting on her bathroom counter. It just couldn't be true, and yet there it was, the little pink plus sign. Tears sprung to Ziva's eyes. Tony should have been there with her, sharing in the joy, but Ziva felt no joy. Instead, she felt helpless. Even if Tony did wake up anytime soon, there was no guarantee that he would be in any condition to help raise a baby. Ziva picked up the phone and called Jenny, she needed a day off.

* * *

Gibbs looked up as he sensed someone looking at him. Jenny was on the catwalk giving him a look that clearly said that she needed to talk with him. Gibbs stood up from his desk and went up the stairs two at a time.

"What up?" Gibbs asked.

"Ziva called in. She's sick and can't come in today. You and Agent McGee are to do desk work for the day. I'll notify Agent Balboa that his team will be on call for the day," Jenny said. "And while we're on the subject, you need to find a temporary replacement for Tony."

"Tell Agent Lee to report to the bullpen tomorrow at zero seven hundred," Gibbs said.

"Can I ask why Agent Lee? I mean, there are more confident and experienced agents that would kill for a chance to work with you," Jenny said. Gibbs looked at Jenny.

"I want Agent Lee because I trust her and DiNozzo trained her and I sure as hell trust DiNozzo," Gibbs said while walking away. Jenny sighed and rolled her eyes and then went back into her office.

* * *

After going back to sleep for an hour, Ziva got up, showered and dressed. Finding nothing remotely interesting in her apartment, Ziva decided to visit Tony. She hadn't been to see him in a few days because of a case that had kept them in the office. Abby had managed to visit though and had even brought Tony's badge to prop up against the photo that Ziva had brought.

When Ziva arrived at the hospital several of Tony's nurses were at the nurse's station and they greeted Ziva as she went past. They had all gotten to know each other over the past few months. When Ziva entered Tony's room her favorite nurse was checking on Tony.

"Hello, Raquel," Ziva said as she set her bag down on the floor next to Tony's bed.

"Hi, Ziva," Raquel said "How are you? I haven't seen you in a couple days."

"I'm feeling a little bit under the weather today," Ziva admitted. "I called off of work."

"I can get you a doctor's not if you need one," Raquel joked. Ziva smiled.

"No, that's okay. I talked to Jenny," Ziva said.

"Well, I have to finish my rounds but if you need me, press the call button," Raquel said as she placed Tony's chart on the end of his bed and then walked out. Ziva pulled a chair over next to the bed and picked up Tony's hand in hers.

"Guess what, Tony," Ziva said. "You managed to knock me up. Congratulations, you're going to be a father." Suddenly, there was the sound of plastic hitting linoleum and a gasp. Ziva turned towards the door and saw Abby standing there, Caf-Pow on the floor, phone in hand, and her mouth gaping open.

* * *

After two hours of working on a cold case from 2004, McGee looked up from the file on his desk.

"What do you think is really wrong with Ziva, I mean, it's not like her to miss work," McGee said. "When Hoffman almost killed her she was back in the office after she went to the hospital." Gibbs looked up at McGee and glared at him.

"McGee," Gibbs said very calmly. "Don't make me start slapping you in place of DiNozzo."

"Right, sorry, Boss," McGee said and looked back at the file on his desk. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his phone light up. He looked at it and saw that it was a text from Abby.

"_Goin 2 the hospital 2 c Tony. Wnt 2 go 2 lnch whn I done?" _Abby had asked. McGee quickly typed a reply.

"_Sure, txt me whn ur done."_

Fifteen minutes later McGee received another text message. Thinking that there was no way Abby was done at the hospital, McGee opened it. It was from Abby.

"_Ziva's pregnant with Tony's baby!!"_

* * *

"Abby, you can't say anything to anyone," Ziva said, feeling panicked.

"Too late," Abby said as she received the conformation message that her text to McGee had been sent. "I just told McGee."

"You tell him that if he tells anyone I will kill him very slowly and painfully with a paperclip," Ziva said. Abby quickly typed out the message and sent it. She then pulled a chair over to the other side of Tony's bed and sat down.

"I'm sorry," Abby said finally. "I have a big mouth."

"It's alright," Ziva said. "I just found out this morning."

"Are you going to keep it?" Abby asked.

"Of course. Tony might never wake up. I want to have something to remind me of him."

"I understand," Abby said. They were both quiet for a few minutes and the room was filled with the sound of the vent pushing air through Tony's lungs. This reminded Ziva of the last month. Numerous doctor's had spoken with Gibbs, who was listed as Tony's next of kin, about pulling the plug.

"_Is he in pain?" Gibbs had asked. All of the doctor's had assured him that Tony wasn't in any pain, seeing as how his chest wound had healed quite nicely._

"_Then he can stay that way until he decides to grace us with his presence again," Gibbs had said. _

What are you going to do about work?" Abby finally asked.

"Well, Jenny knows, I told her this morning and I suppose I'll hide it for as long as I can," Ziva said. "And no one else has to know whose it is."

"That's true," Abby said as she looked at the clock on her phone. "Do you want to come to lunch with me and McGee?"

"No thanks, I think I'll just stay here," Ziva said.

"Alright, well make sure you eat something," Abby said as she stood up and put her coat on. She leaned over and hugged Ziva tightly. "Everything will be okay," Abby whispered and then left, leaving Ziva to her thoughts.

* * *

Around eight Ziva decided to go home. She leaned over and kissed Tony's forehead.

"I love you, don't forget that," Ziva whispered in his ear. She then put her coat on and walked out of his room. Raquel was at the nurse's station when Ziva walked by. Ziva headed over and leaned over the counter.

"Raquel, can you do me a favor?" Ziva asked.

"Sure," Raquel said. "What do you need?"

"I just found out that I was pregnant. Do you think that you could make me a doctor's appointment for me for a checkup in obstetricians?" Ziva asked.

"Sure, I'll take care of it for you," Raquel said.

"Thanks," Ziva said, smiling. She then headed to the elevator and left.

* * *

When Ziva walked outside the cold air hit her like a brick wall. She pulled her coat closer to her body and quickly headed for her car. She started her car, letting it idle for a few minutes before pulling out of her parking space. When she reached the stop light instead of getting into the left hand lane that would take her to her apartment she got into the right hand lane that would take her to Tony's apartment.

Twenty minutes later Ziva found herself outside of Tony's door reaching above the ledge for the spare key that he kept there, not feeling like picking the lock. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The smell of Tony assaulted her senses, bringing tears to the corner of her eyes. She dropped her coat and bag on the couch and wandered into the bedroom. Each of them had been chipping in to pay Tony's rent even though Jenny had not stopped Tony's paychecks. Ziva also knew that McGee was paying someone to come in once a month and tidy up.

When she reached Tony's bedroom she went inside and went to his closet and opened it. One side was suits and ties and the other jeans and shirts. Finding nothing comforting Ziva abandoned the closet and turned towards the drawers. In the middle drawer Ziva found a faded OSU t-shirt and in the bottom drawer she found OSU sweatpants. Stripping her clothes she changed into the shirt and sweat, which were much too big for her. She wandered back into the living room and headed towards Tony's movie collection. She noticed that there were some new titles that Tony hadn't had before. McGee and Abby must have been buying them for him so he wouldn't be behind. Ziva took a new looking DVD off of the shelf and put it in the DVD player and turned the TV on.

Thirty minutes into the movie Ziva became bored. It just wasn't the same watching a movie without Tony whispering movie facts into her ear every five minutes. Ziva wandered back to the bedroom again and selected on of Tony's light jazz CD's. The sound of a saxophone humming a mournful tune filled the room. Ziva curled up into 

Tony's bed and let the tears that had been forming all day flow free. It wasn't fair, to lose everyone in her life that she cared about. Her mother, Tali, Ari, and now she was so close to losing Tony as well. Ziva's tears continued until she had cried herself to sleep.

* * *

**So, I hope you liked the chapter. The next one covers her doctor's appointment and Gibbs become suspicious. Please review, and don't forget to tune into CBS on September 23, 2008 for the Season 6 Premiere. **

**Much Love, Vamp**


	4. Build God, Then We'll Talk

Build God, Then We'll Talk

The next morning Ziva awoke to the sound of her phone ringing in the living room. She ignored the nausea building in her stomach and ran to answer the phone. She didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway.

"Shalom?" Ziva said.

"Ziva David?" a voice that sounded familiar asked.

"This is she," Ziva said.

"Hi, it's Raquel, from the hospital," the voice said.

"Oh, hello," Ziva said, realizing why the voice sounded familiar.

"I did what you asked me too and you have an appointment with Dr. Brooks at three this afternoon," Raquel said.

"Thank you very much," Ziva said.

"You're welcome, see you later," Raquel said and then hung up the phone. Looking at the clock, Ziva saw that it was six thirty. She dialed Jenny's number and put the phone to her ear. She was taking another sick day.

* * *

Jenny was in her car on her way to work when her phone rang. Seeing that it was Ziva, she picked it up.

"Shalom, Ziva," Jenny said.

"Shalom, Jenny," Ziva said. "I need another day off; I have a doctor's appointment later."

"Very well, I'll tell Jethro," Jenny said.

"I was wondering," Ziva began. "Could you go with me?" Jenny knew that it must have taken a lot for Ziva to ask that. She was not the person who was used to depending on people for support.

"What time?" Jenny asked.

"Three," Ziva replied. Jenny opened her datebook and looked at it.

"I actually have a MTAC conference call with your father at three, but I'm sure I can reschedule it. He'll just have to deal with it," Jenny said.

"Toda," Ziva said and relief was evident in her voice.

"I'll see you later then," Jenny said.

"Bye," Ziva said and then hung up.

* * *

Back at Tony's apartment Ziva was hunting for clothes. She knew that she had clothes somewhere as a result of sleeping over one night, but she didn't know where they were. Finally she found a pair of her jeans and a purple v-neck sweater, along with some underwear. She took the clothes the bathroom with her and hopped into the shower. After forty-five minutes under the steaming water Ziva got out and got dressed. After she was dressed she pulled her hair into a sloppy bun, collected her things, locked the door, and left to run errands. First she stopped at Starbuck for a cup of coffee, regretting that she knew had to drink decaf. Then she went to the grocery store and bought some food for Tony's house for when she felt like sleeping over. She dropped the groceries off at the apartment and then headed for Target. When she got there, she headed straight for the baby section.

She had been staring at a car seat for about five minutes when a mother with an infant in her arms walked by. Just then the mother dropped the bag she was carrying and the contents rolled over the floor. Ziva immediately started helping her pick her things up and out them back in the bag. The mother smiled at her as they straightened up.

"Thank you," she said as Ziva handed her the bag.

"You're welcome," Ziva said. "How old is she?" Ziva asked, nodding to the too the tiny baby in the woman's arms.

"Six weeks," the woman answered. "How far along are you?" Ziva stared at her in shock.

"How did you know?" Ziva asked.

"You have this deer in the headlights look that first time mothers get," the woman said.

"Oh," Ziva said. "I'm about three months." The woman looked Ziva up and down.

"You probably won't start showing until six or seven months," the woman said.

"How do you know?" Ziva asked yet again, amazed at this woman's knowledge.

"It's your first child, you have a slim frame and you look like you work out a lot. I was the same way the first time," he woman said.

"Well, you still look good," Ziva pointed out.

"Thank you," the woman said. Just then a man came up and kissed the woman on the cheek. "Well, thank you for your help and good luck."

"You're welcome," Ziva said. She watched the woman and the man walk away and a wave of new sadness filled her and she left the store.

* * *

Abby was in her lab contemplating how Ziva would feel about a baby shower when Gibbs walked in with a Caf-Pow.

"Heard you went to see Tony yesterday," Gibbs said as he threw Abby's old Caf-Pow out and replaced it with the fresh on in his hand.

"Who told you?" Abby asked, panic sweeping through her.

"McGee," Gibbs said. "He said that you saw Ziva there." Abby swallowed hard.

"She might have been there, that doesn't mean that I saw her," Abby said.

"Well, she called off of work again. Jenny excused her because she never takes sick days, but I know something's up," Gibbs said.

"Did you ever think that she really might be sick?" Abby asked.

"Not Ziva. McGee yes, DiNozzo definitely, but Ziva, never," Gibbs said looking at Abby. "Do you know something I don't?" Gibbs asked.

"No sir," Abby said, biting her lower lip in the process.

"Alright, I'll see you later, Abs," Gibbs said as he walked out of the lab. Abby gave a sigh of relief and turned towards Bert who was perched on the top of her computer.

"That was close," she said.

* * *

When three finally rolled around Ziva had worked her way up to nearly a panic attack. She was sitting in the waiting room when Jenny arrived. Jenny smiled at Ziva and sat down next to her.

Jenny could tell that Ziva was nervous just by looking at her but she knew the young Israeli well enough to know that if Ziva wanted to talk, she would do it when she was ready.

About five minutes after Jenny arrived a nurse appeared from behind the door.

"Ziva David?" she called, using the American pronunciation of Ziva's last name.

"It's Da-veed," Ziva corrected as she stood up from out of her seat.

"I'm sorry," the nurse said snidely. "Family only in the back." Jenny smiled tightly.

"I'm her mother," Jenny said. The nurse raised her eyebrow skeptically. "She was adopted," Jenny explained. The nurse shrugged but let Jenny back the hallway with Ziva.

After the nurse had taken Ziva's height, weight, and blood pressure she led them to a room and handed Ziva a paper hospital gown.

"Put this on. Dr. Brooks will be with you shortly," the nurse said and then shut the door. Jenny politely turned away while Ziva changed. Once Ziva had changed she took a seat on the examining table and looked at Jenny with fear in her eyes.

"Are you nervous?" Jenny asked.

"A little," Ziva admitted. "More sad than nervous; no offense, but Tony should be here with me."

"What are you going to tell Jethro?" Jenny asked.

"I honestly don't know," Ziva said. "Maybe I'll tell him that I had a one night stand."

"He'd never believe that you'd be that careless," jenny said skeptically. Ziva sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I don't know then," Ziva said. Just then there was a knock on the door and middle aged brunette walked into the room wearing a pants suit and a white coat.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Andrea Brooks. You must be Ziva," Dr. Brooks said, holding out her hand. Ziva shook it politely.

"Hello, I'm Ziva," Ziva said. "This is my mom," Ziva said, motioning to Jenny. Jenny smiled at Dr. Brooks and shook her hand as well.

"So, I heard that you think you're pregnant," Dr. Brooks said.

"That's correct," Ziva said.

"Do you know about how far along?"

"The last time I had sex was three months ago," Ziva said.

"It took you think long to notice?" Dr. Brooks asked in disbelief.

"I've never been regular due to the stresses of my job," Ziva said.

"And what would that be?" Dr. Brooks asked.

"I am currently working as a liaison between Mossad and NCIS. Before I worked for NCIS I was a trained assassin," Ziva said. Dr. Brooks didn't look surprised.

"I knew that you looked like you were from the Middle East. Mossad is Israeli, right?" Dr. Brooks asked.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"Alright, have you been having morning sickness?" Dr. Brooks asked.

"I've had nausea, but I've managed not to throw up," Ziva said.

"How about breast tenderness and over sensitivity to smells?" Dr. Brooks asked. Ziva nodded. "Alright, I'm going to ask you to lay back on the table so I can do an ultrasound," Dr. Brooks said. Ziva laid back on the table and pulled her hospital gown up to just under her bra line. Dr. Brooks covered up Ziva's legs up with a blanket and then smeared gel over Ziva's stomach. Dr. Brooks then turned the monitor on and placed the wand on Ziva's stomach. She pushed it around at different angles for a few minutes until she came to rest on a spot slightly to the left of Ziva's belly button.

"There," Dr. Brooks said, pointing to the screen, "is your baby." Ziva looked at the screen and she could make out the baby's head and shoulders. Ziva smiled with tears in her eyes. Jenny took Ziva's hand in hers and felt a swell of pride as if Ziva was her real daughter.

"That's my baby," Ziva whispered in amazement.

"Would you like pictures?" Dr. Brooks asked and Ziva nodded. Dr. Brooks clicked a few times and then the printer on the counter whirred to life. Dr. Brooks then began to wipe the gel off of Ziva's stomach. "It appears that your baby is healthy and is growing nicely. I'll see you again in three weeks. Just take your chart to the check out desk and they'll make the appointment for you."

"Thank you, it was nice meeting you," Ziva said.

"Nice meeting you as well," Dr, Brooks said, and then left the room.

* * *

After Ziva was scheduled for her next appointment she said good bye to Jenny and headed down a floor to see Tony. She told him about the baby and placed one of the ultrasound pictures under his pillow. When she was done, she called Abby.

"Abby Scuito, forensic extraordinaire, how may I help you?" Abby said, answering the phone.

"Hey Abby, it's Ziva," Ziva said.

"Oh, Ziva, you would be so proud of me. Gibbs was in here asking questions but I didn't say anything," Abby said quickly.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Ziva said. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me. I don't want to be alone."

"Of course," Abby said. "I'll call you when I'm done," Abby said.

"Thank you so much," Ziva said. "And I have a surprise for you."

"Good, I love surprises," Abby said.

"See you later," Ziva said.

"Yup, I'll call you," Abby said and hung up the phone.

"Who are you going to call?" Gibbs asked, walking into the lab.

"The nuns want to go bowling tonight. I said I would call them when I was done working," Abby lied quickly.

"Have you heard form Ziva at all today?" Gibbs asked.

"Can't say I have, Bossman," Abby said. Gibbs stared at her, but Abby didn't blink.

"Well, if you do talk to her, tell her if her butt isn't in here at zero seven hundred tomorrow, I will hunt her down personally and drag her in here," Gibbs said.

"Yes sir," Abby said.

"Don't call me sir," Gibbs said.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Later that night Abby met Ziva for dinner. Ziva told an excited Abby about her doctor's appointment and gave her one of the ultrasound pictures. Abby passed Gibbs's message along and Ziva laughed and reassured her that she would be at work the next morning. Abby asked Ziva how she would feel about a baby shower and Ziva cheerfully informed Abby that if she surprised her in any way shape or form that she would kill her.

After dinner, Ziva went back to Tony's apartment. This time she dressed in one of his dress shirts, which was far too big for her. She hung one of the two remaining photos up on the fridge and then went to bed with the last photo clutched in her hand.

**I really hope you all appreciate this because I can't feel my fingers right now. Let's play find the quote from Season 3, it's there, hopefully you find it. PLEASE REVIEW! I am getting plenty of subscribers but not enough reviews to match. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! (BTW: This chapter is 5 pages in Word with 2,100 words. You better appreciate me!)**

**Enjoy tonight's season premiere!**

**Much Love, Vamp**


	5. But It's Better If You Do

But It's Better If You Do

_**3 Months Later… **_

_**6 Months Into Pregnancy…**_

The months after Ziva discovered she was pregnant were challenging for her and for everyone in her life. Gibbs had discovered that Ziva was pregnant when he had seen the ultrasound pictures on Abby's desk, but he still didn't know who the father was. Abby had started going with Ziva to her doctor's appointments under the pretense of being her sister. The nurse had really raised her eyebrows at that one.

Tony still hadn't woken up even though that doctor's were reporting that he was perfectly fine and they were at a loss as to explain why he hadn't woken up yet.

Ziva wasn't showing much, just a slight bump. If you didn't know her and know what was going on, you wouldn't think that she was pregnant at all. She had controlled her morning sickness and cravings through sheer self control. McGee had been helping her a lot, carrying her bag for her, and even going so far as to come over one weekend and set up the crib for her.

Jenny had long ago confined her to desk work except for crimes scenes and even then all she was allowed to do was take pictures and questioning witnesses. This had her extremely frustrated and she had taken to taking it out on the team. The team, however, especially those who knew who the father was, had shown nothing except endless patience and love towards her.

Ziva had been staying at Tony's apartment about three nights a week and she had been careful to remove all traces of herself so the maid didn't know she was staying there, except this time, she forgot.

* * *

Gibbs was sitting at his desk finishing up a report. The rest of his team had gone to lunch. Gibbs had let them go for lack of anything else better to do. Just then, his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he said, answering the phone.

"Senor Gibbs, you must come quickly. Someone has been in Senor DiNozzo's apartment," Maria, the hired maid said on the other line. Gibbs was already to the elevator.

When Gibbs arrived at Tony's apartment building he found the frantic looking at Maria pacing just inside the door.

"Maria," Gibbs said. "What's wrong?"

"In the kitchen, there are photos on the refrigerator," Maria said. Gibbs patted her on the shoulder and went into the kitchen. There, on Tony's fridge, were ultrasound photos. He looked a bit closer an saw Ziva's name on the pictures. "_Why would Ziva put her ultrasound pictures on Tony's fridge?" _Gibbs thought. "_Unless…"_ Gibbs went back to the front hall.

"It's alright," Gibbs told her.

"Thank you," Maria said. Gibbs left her to her cleaning and headed back downstairs, pulling his phone out as he did, dialing Jenny's number.

* * *

Ziva and Abby were laughing at McGee, who had spilled a bit of soda on his shirt when out of the corner of her eye she saw and angry looking Gibbs and just behind him and apologetic Jenny.

"Why are Gibbs and Jenny here?" Abby asked, finally catching sight of him. McGee looked up and looked in the direction of Gibbs and Jenny.

"I don't know, but Gibbs doesn't look very happy," McGee said. Gibbs pointed to Ziva and motioned for her to come over. Ziva shot a questioning look at Abby and McGee but got up and went over to where Gibbs and Jenny were standing.

"Hi," Ziva said. "What's up?" Gibbs didn't say anything, but instead held up the ultrasound picture from Tony's fridge. Ziva just looked at it, not understanding the significance.

"That's one of my ultrasound pictures," Ziva said, "what about it?"

"Do you know where I got this from?" Gibbs asked.

"Abby's lab?" Ziva asked, clearly confused.

"Tony's apartment," Gibbs said. Recognition dawned on Ziva's face.

"Oh," was Ziva's response.

"Oh?" Gibbs said. "So you just forgot to mention the fact that Tony is the father of the child you're carrying?"

"I didn't want you to know, you wouldn't have approved. The fact that you're upset proves that I was right," Ziva said. Gibbs glared at Ziva but she didn't flinch and returned the stare.

"Ziva has a point, Jethro," Jenny said, placing her hand on Gibbs's shoulder. Gibbs closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ziva, I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me," Gibbs said finally.

"I'm sorry," Ziva said. Gibbs didn't say anything but he opened his arms and Ziva walked into them and allowed herself to be enveloped in them.

* * *

Later that night Ziva was sitting on the floor in the newly painted nursery (courtesy of McGee and Abby) of her apartment folding baby clothes. With her consent, Abby had thrown Ziva a baby shower a month ago. Jenny had bought a beautiful oak changing table and Gibbs had built a rocking chair to match. McGee had bought a dresser and matching crib while Abby had supplied the stuffed animals and cloths (most of which were black). Ducky had bought a Ziva a collection of children's books and a car seat. Nikki, Michelle, and Jimmy had all chipped in and bout a stroller.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ziva slowly got to her feet, holding her back in the process. Although she was lucky not to be enormous, her bump was big enough to cause her back pain.

When she opened the door she found herself face to face with Gibbs.

"Shalom," Ziva said, stepping aside so Gibbs could come in.

"Ziva, I know I was harsh with you earlier and I wanted to give you this," Gibbs said as he handed Ziva a piece of sketch paper. Ziva took it and recognized it right away as the sketch of Tony that she had found in Kate's sketch book, which she had given to Gibbs.

"Gibbs, I can't possibly accept this," Ziva said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I think she would have wanted you to have it," Gibbs said as he pulled Ziva into a hug. They stood there for a moment, hugging as a father and daughter would. After they separated Gibbs wiped the tears from Ziva's eyes with his thumb.

"Even though it might not seem like it now, everything will be alright," Gibbs said and Ziva nodded. "And you're not alone. You have a whole family behind you."

"Thank you," Ziva whispered.

* * *

**Okay, I know it's shorter then some of the other chapters and I did have more written but I felt that it would fit better in the next chapter since this chapter was essentially the chapter where Gibbs found out about Tony and Ziva. Please review, please? It makes me happy.**

**And, I have a LiveJournal now. Look me up under vamp926.**

**And, don't forget to check out my NCIS Blog every week for reviews of the episodes…… the link is in my profile.**

**AND REVIEW!! (I'll give you cookies!)**


	6. Baby Blues

Baby Blues

The next day Ziva and Abby decided to visit Tony. Abby brought fresh flowers and balloons and Ziva brought her newly purchased Iron Man DVD to put on in the background. She and tony had gone to see it when it had come out in theaters and they both had liked it immensely.

After Abby had replaced Tony's flowers and balloon and Ziva taped the ultrasound pictures to Tony's headboard, where they should have been placed all along, they settled down and to watch Iron Man. Abby was sitting on one side of the bed and Ziva was on the other side and she placed Tony's lifeless hand on the stomach where the baby was kicking ferociously.

About halfway through the movie, Ziva felt a twitch on her stomach that was definitely not her baby kicking.

"Abby, I think Tony's hand twitched," Ziva said excitedly as she got up and pressed the nurse call button. A few seconds later Raquel ran into the room.

"What's wrong?" Raquel asked, sounding a bit breathless.

"Tony's hand twitched," Ziva said. Abby came around the bed with a skeptical look on her face and placed her hand on Ziva's shoulder.

"Ziva, are you sure that it was Tony? I mean, you did have his hand on your stomach and Baby DiNozzo has been really active lately," Abby said, who had recently taken every available moment to feel Ziva's stomach and talk to "Baby DiNozzo" as she called the baby. Ziva's eyes flashed with defiance.

"I am sure that it was not the baby," Ziva said. Raquel walked over to the machine that was recording Tony's brainwaves and looked at the paper for a few minutes.

"Well, he did have a brain spike, but nothing else after that," Raquel said. Tears pooled at the corners of Ziva's eyes and she sunk back down into her chair with her hands cradling her stomach.

"I just wish he would wake up," Ziva said, blinking and allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. Abby leaned over from behind her and wrapped Ziva up in a hug. Ziva placed her hand on Abby's forearm and squeezed. Raquel smiled sadly.

"I'll get his doctor," Raquel said and left the room. Abby squeezed Ziva tightly and then let go.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Abby asked and Ziva nodded as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Can we go now?" Ziva asked.

"Sure," Abby said as she picked up her coat and coffin shaped bag from the table where she had laid them when they came it. Ziva stood up from her chair slowly and leaned over Tony and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you," Ziva said quietly and then she stood up. She collected her coat and bag and took Abby's proffered arm and walked out of the hospital room.

* * *

Later that night Ziva and Abby sat on the couch in Tony's apartment in their pajamas. Abby was drinking a bottle of Corona and Ziva had a champagne flute filled with sparkling cider leftover from Christmas. The TV show Bones was on on the TV and the pair were half paying attention to it. Whenever they showed a forensic scene Abby would comment on their technique but other than that they watched in silence. Finally Ziva spoke up.

"How much longer do you think that Gibbs will let this go on?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know, Gibbs cares a lot about Tony. He thinks of him as the son he never had," Abby said.

"How do you know?" Ziva asked.

"There were at least ten other applicants that had much better backgrounds and had stayed with their previous jobs but Gibbs chose Tony. Who knows what he say in him, but he saw something. Maybe he saw a younger version of himself, but whatever the reason, Tony was the one that Gibbs chose to protect his six," Abby said.

"He refuses to give up on him," Ziva murmured, taking a sip from her glass.

* * *

The next day Ziva was arriving at the bullpen as Gibbs, McGee, and Lee were leaving. Ziva turned around to follow them but was stopped when she almost ran into Gibbs.

"David, I want you to stay here. The crime scene is at Rock Creek Park and it's cold outside, I don't want you to get sick. Pull the victim's service and medical records," Gibbs said as he handed Ziva a piece of paper.

"Gibbs," Ziva began, surprising Gibbs with how childish she sounded.

"That's an order, Officer David," Gibbs said with warning in his voice. Ziva glared at Gibbs but went to her desk and sat down. Gibbs just smiled and returned to the elevator.

Twenty minutes after the rest of the team had left Ziva had gotten all of the information she could on the deceased Lieutenant Lisa Keller. Ziva looked at her watch and sighed. She picked her cell phone up off of her desk and opened a game of Tetris, a bad habit she had picked up from Tony.

Ziva continued her game for a half an hour before she was interrupted by a phone call from Gibbs.

"Officer David," Ziva said, answering her phone when it rang.

"Ziva, I want you to look up everything you can on Robert Black. He was Lt. Keller's boyfriend," Gibbs said.

"Anything else?" Ziva asked.

"That's it," Gibbs said and then he hung up. Ziva rolled her eyes but turned towards her computer.

* * *

An hour later the team returned. McGee took the evidence straight down to Abby and Gibbs sent Lee to get coffee. Ziva told Gibbs everything she had found out about Lt. Keller and her boyfriend and then Gibbs looked up at her.

"Ducky left an hour before us. Go down and see if he has anything for me yet," Gibbs said.

Ziva arrived in Autopsy just as Ducky was getting ready to open Lt. Keller. As the doors to Autopsy opened, Ziva could hear Ducky talking to Lt. Keller's body, telling her a story about the Amazon people. When he heard the pneumatic hiss of the doors, Ducky looked up.

"Ziva, my dear, what brings you down here?" Ducky asked, setting the scalpel down on the tray next to the table.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, offering the single word as an explanation.

"Ahh, yes, well, Jethro was never a patient man. I'm afraid that I cannot offer you much information to take back to him, but, I did find some things on the preliminary examination," Ducky said as he walked around the table and motioned for Ziva to come closer.

"What did you find?" Ziva asked.

"There was bruising on her arms, suggesting that someone was kicking her and she used her arms to protect herself. Also, there was some bruising on the stomach, congruent with the bruising on the arms, but there is less of it," Ducky explained. Awful recognition dawned on Ziva.

"Ducky, would those injuries result from her holding her stomach like this?" Ziva asked, cradling her stomach as an example.

"Why yes, why do you ask?" Ducky asked, surveying Ziva.

"Because that's the way a pregnant mother protects her baby," Ziva whispered before she blacked out.

* * *

When Ziva woke up she was lying on the couch in Jenny's office. She looked around and saw Jenny and Gibbs having a whispered argument by the door. Jenny looked over and saw that Ziva was awake and rushed over to her.

"Ziva, are you okay?" Jenny asked, placing her hand on Ziva's forehead.

"What happened?" Ziva asked. "And how did I get here?"

"You passed out in Autopsy and McGee carried you up here," Jenny said. "You had just told Ducky that you thought Lt. Keller was pregnant, giving our killer a motive."

"Ziva," Gibbs said from the doorway. "McGee's going to take you home. Jenny and I have decided that it's time for you to start your maternity leave." Ziva turned to Jenny, ready to open her mouth in protest, but immediately saw that it would be a lost cause.

"Ziva," Jenny said quietly, "you want to keep your baby safe, don't you?" Ziva sighed and resigned to the fact that she would not win the argument and nodded. As soon as Ziva nodded, Ducky walked into Jenny's office with a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. Jenny moved and sat down at her desk while Gibbs left the office.

"I'm terribly sorry about that, Ziva, my dear," Ducky said as he sat down on the edge of the couch. Ziva rolled up her sleeve and offered her arm to the elderly doctor. Ducky wrapped the cuff around her upper arm and started pumping air into the cuff. When he was finished her removed the cuff from Ziva'a arm and rolled it up.

"Abigail was quiet distressed when she discovered that you had a fainting spell. Jethro had a hard time assuring her that you were alright," Ducky said.

"Does she know I'm okay?" Ziva asked.

"Yes," Abby squealed as she ran though Jenny's door, followed by Gibbs.

"Don't you people ever knock?" Jenny asked from her desk in a voice of exasperation.

"Sorry, Director Shepard," Abby said apologetically and then turned back her attention back to Ziva. "Are you and the baby okay?"

"Yes," Ducky answered for Ziva. "She and the baby appear to be quite well, besides a slightly high blood pressure, which is normal after the excitement that Ziva just had. But, I must say, Jenny and Jethro are quiet right to make you start your maternity leave. You need to rest."

"Can she leave now?" Gibbs asked from the doorway.

"Yes," Ducky replied as he stood up from the couch, "although I would suggest that someone go home with her and stay the night."

"Abs," Gibbs said.

"Yes, Bossman," Abby said as she ran out of Jenny's office to get her stuff.

"I'll tell McGee that you're ready to go home," Gibbs said.

"What about my car?" Ziva asked.

"I'll drop it off later," Gibbs said as he helped her to her feet. Although she would never admit it out loud, she was glad that Gibbs had helped her up because she still felt a bit dizzy.

* * *

Later that night Abby found Ziva curled up in her bed in one of Tony's dress shirts with tears running down her face.

"Abby, I don't know if I can do this," Ziva said.

"Do what?" Abby asked, sitting down on the side of Ziva's bed.

"Be a mother," Ziva said, "not work, do everything I'm supposed to do." Abby gathered Ziva up in her arms and squeezed her gently.

"Ziva, you'll be a wonderful mother. I've seen the way you look at your ultrasound pictures and your eyes all but light up when you hear your baby's heartbeat," Abby said.

"What am I going to do all day if I can't work?" Ziva asked, sounding forlorn.

"Buy baby supplies, clean, visit Tony, sleep," Abby said, naming off a few things.

"I just wish he would wake up. I don't want to do this on my own," Ziva said. "And it's selfish for him not to have woken up yet. Doesn't he know that there are people here who need him?" Ziva said angrily. Abby patted Ziva's back gently.

"Ziva, how many times do we have to tell you? You're not alone," Abby chided. "You have a whole family behind you. Gibbs is like you father, overly protective and caring, Jenny is like your mother who only has your best interests in heart and who you can tell things that you wouldn't dare tell your father. McGee's like your brother, always around to help you out when you need it. Ducky's you're grandfather, always around to tell you pointless stories that you listen to anyway, and they all care about you."

"What about you?" Ziva asked with a small smile.

"Well, I'm your sister, and if I do say so myself, I'm the best damn sister a girl could ever have," Abby said. Ziva's smiled widened.

"Yes, you are," Ziva agreed.

"Alright, now that you're out of your funks, let's order us some takeout," Abby proclaimed.

* * *

**So, there is your chapter 6. Please review and while you do review, I want you to tell me which you think is best: Ava, Amira, David, or Aaron….. Those are potential baby names and I want your guys input. Keep in mind that the baby will have Tony's last name (for those thinking of David Da-veed) PLEASE REVIEW! I barely received any reviews for the last chapter (and thanks to those who did review, it means a lot) Expect the next chapter sometime tomorrow or Thursday at the latest.**

**Much Love, Vamp**


	7. Watch The World Burn

**And the winner of the name game is….. well, you'll just have to wait and see!!**

* * *

Watch The World Burn

**2 Months Later…**

** (8****th**** month of pregnancy)**

After her incident in Autopsy two months ago, Ziva had grown accustomed to not going to work. She indulged herself by sleeping in, usually until ten or eleven, and then she would get up for the day. After she had showered and dressed she would usually pick up lunch for the team and take it to the office. She would stay down in Abby's lab until Gibbs let Abby go. Usually, they would go shopping for baby clothes after Abby was done working and occasionally Abby would make Ziva shop for new clothes for her for after the baby arrived.

On days when the team had a case Ziva would usually go to the hospital and spend time with Tony, telling him how the baby was doing and things that were happening.

* * *

It was a Friday when Ziva decided to stay home and clean. Abby had offered to help, but Ziva had declined. She knew from that baby books that she read that she was nesting, getting ready for her baby's arrival.

After she had cleaned as much as she could, Ziva got into the shower and let the warm water wash the dirt and grime away. She winced as the baby kicked particularly hard. The baby had been acting up all day and Ziva was at a loss to explain why.

* * *

Gibbs looked up from his desk, feeling restless. His gut had been bothering him all day. He had called and checked on Ziva, who had insisted that she was fine and had told him that she was getting in the shower. He had called the hospital as well and Raquel had assured him that, besides being in a coma, Tony was perfectly fine. McGee was in the lab with Abby and Lee and Langer (Ziva's temporary replacement) were at their desks filing paperwork. Jenny was upstairs in MTAC on a conference call with SecNav and Cynthia was with her, but he knew something bad was going to happen.

* * *

Ziva was just getting out of the shower when she heard a noise in the kitchen. She quickly pulled her on her robe and cautiously peered out into the hallway. She had left her gun and knife in the living room, so she had no way of protecting herself. She slowly and quietly made her way down the hallway and peeked around the corner into the kitchen.

"Asaph?" Ziva asked, stepping into view.

_Meanwhile at the hospital, Tony's hand began to twitch._

"Ziva," Asaph said, pulling a gun out of his pocket, "slih'a." He pulled the trigger and Ziva fell to the side just in time and the bullet shattered a lamp and Ziva could feel pieces of glass cut her face. Ziva waited until she heard Asaph leave until she got up. She had left her phone in the bathroom so she turned to get it. She hadn't even walked two steps when she felt something trickle down her leg. She felt with her hand and it came away covered in blood. Suddenly, her whole stomach cramped painfully and she placed her hand against the wall to steady herself, smearing blood as she did. She made it two more steps before she collapsed.

* * *

In the hospital Tony's eyes suddenly flew open and he began to choke on the ventilator. Three nurses rushed into the room, Raquel among them.

"Okay, Tony, when I say go, cough as hard as you can," Raquel said as she placed her hands on the tube to remove it. "Go," Raquel said and Tony coughed loudly and hard as Raquel pulled the tube out.

"Ziva," gasped as a nurse tried to give him a drink of water. Tony refused the water and grabbed Raquel's hand. "Call Gibbs, something's wrong with Ziva." Raquel saw the desperation in his eyes.

"I will," she said and Tony surrendered himself to the nurses.

* * *

Gibbs had resorted to pacing across the bullpen when his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs?" Gibbs said, answering his phone.

"Agent Gibbs? This is Raquel, Tony's nurse from the hospital. Tony's awake, but he's insisting that something is wrong with Ziva and wants you to check on her," Raquel said. Gibbs had hung up before Raquel finished. He ran to his desk, grabbed his gun and called McGee as he sprinted to the steps.

"Meet me at the car, now," Gibbs said, not even giving McGee a chance to answer. When he got to the garage McGee already had the car started and was sitting in the passenger's seat. Gibbs threw himself into the car and slammed the gearshift into reverse.

"Boss," McGee said, panic evident at the edge of his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Tony woke up, insisted something was wrong with Ziva," Gibbs said.

"The baby," McGee breathed with realization. "But it's not time yet."

"Ya think, McGee?" Gibbs said through clenched teeth as he made a left hand turn on a red light in front of an eighteen wheeler.

When Gibbs and McGee arrived at Ziva's apartment complex they approached her door with guns drawn. The door was slightly open, and Gibbs knew that something had to be wrong.

"Ziva?" Gibbs called though the crack in the door. There was no answer and Gibbs heard no movement from within. Gibbs signaled McGee to cover him and he pushed the door open further, his gun leading the way.

The first thing that Gibbs and McGee saw was the bloody smear on the wall.

"Clear," McGee called from the kitchen.

"McGee," Gibbs called from the hallway. McGee ran over to where Gibbs was standing and saw the unconscious Ziva in a heap on the floor in a puddle of blood. "Get her out to the car," Gibbs growled as he stepped around her and went into the bathroom and returned with a towel to find that McGee had already scooped her limp body up into his arms.

As McGee carried Ziva to the car she moaned, but didn't wake up. On the way to the car Gibbs had called Metro PD and a squad car was waiting outside to escort them to the hospital.

Halfway there, McGee noticed that Ziva was bleeding again.

"Boss, we've got a problem," McGee said. Gibbs didn't look back but reached across the seat and threw the towel that he had taken from Ziva's bathroom back to McGee. McGee placed the towel in between Ziva's legs, who moaned once again but did not wake up.

When they arrived at the hospital there was an emergency team waiting in the ambulance bay. On of the nurses opened the door and took Ziva from McGee and placed her on the gurney.

"What do we have?" a doctor asked.

"Twenty-nine year old female, thirty-two weeks pregnant with unknown injuries," Gibbs replied, giving them the information that he knew they needed.

"What's her name?" one of the nurses asked as they rushed her inside.

"Ziva," Gibbs called. The doctor began yelling orders as they rushed Ziva away from Gibbs and McGee and into the ER.

* * *

An hour late no one had heard anything about Ziva. After they had arrived at the hospital McGee had called Jenny and told her to bring Abby and Ducky to the hospital. When Abby had arrived at the hospital, she took one look at Ziva's bloody clothes and had thrown herself into Gibbs's arms, loud sobs racking her small frame.

Gibbs had gone upstairs to try and see Tony, but the doctors were in with him and no one was allowed to see him. Gibbs had left a message with Raquel to tell Tony that they were here.

Finally, a doctor walked out from the ER, a chart in his hand.

"Family for Ziva David?" the doctor said. They all stood up. "Ah, Agent Gibbs, we meet again," Dr. Pratt said.

"How's Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, we had to deliver the baby by emergency C-section, but Ziva and the baby are doing fine," Dr. Pratt said.

"Well?" Abby asked. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I'll let her tell you herself," Dr. Pratt said, stepping aside to reveal and orderly pushing Ziva in a wheelchair with the baby in her arms.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, a quiet smile on her face, "I'd like you to meet you granddaughter, Ava Maria DiNozzo. She weighs five pounds and four ounces and is a perfectly healthy baby." Gibbs peered over the blanket into the face of the little girl that was his granddaughter.

"Ziva," Jenny said, placing her hand on Ziva's shoulder gently. "Tony's awake."

"Really?" Ziva asked.

"Really."

* * *

**So, I hope you liked it. Ava had 9 votes, Amira had 2 votes, Aaron had 7 votes, and David had 1 vote. I also had one suggestion for a name. Next chapter coming soon!! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon

Later that night Ziva insisted that she be able to see Tony. After a quick discussion between Jenny and Gibbs, Jenny consented to wheel Ziva down to Tony's room. When they got there, Tony's bed was raised into a sitting position but his eyes were closed and he was sleeping. Jenny wheeled Ziva over to the side of Tony's bed and left her sit there.

"I'll leave you three alone. I'll be outside, just call me if you need me," Jenny said. After she left the room, Ava began to fuss. Ziva adjusted her and began humming the tune of a Hebrew lullaby.

Through the grips of his sleep Tony heard Ziva's voice, softly humming. He slowly opened his eyes and what he saw amazed him. Ziva was in a wheelchair, dressed in a hospital gown and robe and in her arms was a bundle wrapped in pink blankets. When Ziva noticed his open eyes a small smile spread across her face.

"Hey," Ziva said quietly.

"Hey," Tony rasped, his throat still sore from his vent tube. "What's this?" he asked motioning to Ava with the hand that wasn't attached to an IV.

"Tony, I'd like you to meet your daughter, Ava Maria," Ziva said. Jenny reappeared from around the doorway and took Ava from Ziva and placed her in Tony's arms and then left the room again. Tony said nothing, but just stared at tiny baby girl in his arms with wonderment and amazement in his eyes.

"Just how long have I been out?" Tony asked, suppressing a laugh for fear of disturbing Ava.

"Eight months," Ziva replied, the smile slowly dropping from her face. "What did your doctors say?"

"They have no explanation as to why I was in a coma when I was perfectly healthy. Their best guess, my brain shut down to protect itself." Tony said quietly.

"When are you allowed to leave?" Ziva asked.

"Tomorrow," Tony said. "What about you?"

"Two days," Ziva said. "And I can't go home because my apartment is currently a crime scene. The doctor's said that when I dodged the bullet and fell, I ruptured the placenta. Gibbs and McGee got me to the hospital just in time. Any later and Ava would have been stillborn."

"Dodged a bullet?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Ziva said. "A former Mossad officer is trying to kill me, although on whose orders, I do not know. Gibbs and McGee are going to investigate it." The pair were silent for a minute, until Ava started to fuss again. "Jenny," Ziva called and Jenny walked around the corner into the room and gently took Ava from Tony.

"Ziva," Tony said, causing Ziva to look up from Ava. "I love you." Ziva didn't reply, but motioned Jenny to wheel her out of the room.

* * *

The next day Tony was released from the hospital with strict instructions from the doctor to rest. Gibbs picked Tony up and drove him home. The car ride was silent until Tony decided to speak up.

"Boss," Tony began quietly.

"Don't, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with warning in his voice.

"Don't what?" Tony said angrily. "Don't ask what went on while I was in that coma? Don't ask what Ziva went through; don't ask what the team went through? Don't what?" Gibbs didn't answer but instead swerved off the road and brought the car to a screeching halt. Gibbs turned to look at Tony who had a mild look of shock on his face.

"She went through hell," Gibbs said quietly. "When Abby would stay with her she told me that Ziva would cry herself to sleep. She would break into your apartment and stay there at least three nights a week. Abby said that the only thing that she would sleep in were your clothes. Basically, she needed you and you weren't there."

"Like it was my fault," Tony shot back. "Do you think I wanted to be in that coma? Do you think I wanted to wake up and find out that I had a daughter and had missed the whole pregnancy?"

"Just be thankful she was still there when you woke up," Gibbs said darkly.

* * *

When Gibbs and Tony finally arrived at Tony's apartment they saw McGee, Abby, and Jenny dressed in work clothes leaning against a black pickup truck, which looked like it had baby furniture in the back of it.

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked as he got out of the car.

"Well, Ziva's apartment is a crime scene and probably will be for a couple days and Ziva and Ava come home tomorrow," Abby began.

"So we figured that we'd get Ziva's stuff out of her apartment and bring it here," McGee finished.

"Where are you going to put it?" Tony asked skeptically.

"You have a spare bedroom," Abby said, narrowing her eyes at Tony. Yesterday she had been ecstatic to have him back and today she was glaring at him. She must have talked to Ziva.

"Tony," Gibbs said. "You're not allowed to help. The doctor's said you needed to rest." Tony frowned.

"But Boss," Tony started to say.

"Did it sound like I wanted to start a discussion?" Gibbs said, glaring at Tony.

"Am I allowed to go get groceries?" Tony asked. Gibbs and Jenny shared a look.

"Go ahead," Jenny said.

"Here," McGee said as he pulled something out of his pocket and throwing it to Tony. Tony reached out to catch it but it slipped through his fingers. No one said anything but the look was on their faces; they knew that if he hadn't been in a coma he would have caught it. Tony bent down and picked up what he had dropped, his keys.

"You weren't driving my car, were you Probie?" Tony asked.

"No," McGee said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Jenny did."

"Well," Tony said, "that's alright then."

* * *

As Tony was driving to the grocery store he passed a Catholic church. Now, Tony was never really religious. He had dutifully gone to Mass as a child with his mother, but only because he was obligated too. After his mother had died he would accompany his father only on major holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. When he was in college he only went to impress girls; and when he started in Peoria never, until the first time he shot someone. Since he had moved to DC, he had only been to church once; when Kate died.

Feeling a sudden urge, Tony pulled into the church parking lot and parked. He got out of the car and entered the church through a side door.

The church was beautiful inside, everything a Catholic church ought to be; high ceilings with murals of naked angels, rich stained glass windows, and an ornate cross at the front of the church, hanging from the ceiling. Finally, Tony spotted what he was looking for along the left hand side of the chapel, a confessional booth. Tony headed towards it, opened the curtain, and sat down inside.

"Welcome, my son," a voice said from the other side of the screen.

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned," Tony said, crossing himself in the process. "It has been four years since my last confession."

"That's an awfully long time," the priest said.

"Yes, it is," Tony reflected.

"What can I do for you?" the priest asked. Tony took a deep breath and launched into his tale, starting from the time when Gibbs retired.

Tony left the church feeling better than he had in years. Off loading his feelings to a stranger had been refreshing for Tony.

After he stopped at the grocery store Tony was headed back to his apartment when he spotted a small toy store. An idea sprang into Tony's head and he pulled over.

* * *

As Tony was confessing and shopping, the rest of the team was busy making his obsolete spare room into a nursery fit for a baby. Abby and Jenny were on ladders painting the room a soft pink color while Gibbs and McGee carried the baby furniture into the house and temporarily placed it in the living room.

Every so often Abby would burst into a random song. After Abby was done, Jenny would do the same and if they both knew the song, they both would sing.

When Gibbs heard them from the living room a small smile crept across his face. He remembered when he and Jenny had been stuck in that attic on surveillance. While they weren't pursuing other physical activities, Jenny would break into random songs. While her voice was not professionally trained, she wasn't all that bad of a singer. Her voice had a rich mellow tone to it with just a hint of being able to stretch higher.

While Gibbs was reminiscing, Jenny poked her head out of the doorway.

"We're about done in here and then we can order lunch while we wait for it to dry," Jenny said.

"Alright," Gibbs said, the smile still across his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Jenny asked.

"Nothing, just remembering," Gibbs replied.

* * *

The next day Gibbs drove Tony to the hospital to pick up Ziva. They had put Ava's car seat in the back and Tony had brought Ziva a set of clothes. When they arrived at Ziva's room all of Tony's former nurses were in there cooing over Ava, who was being held by Raquel.

"Tony, it's nice not to see you in a bed," Raquel said as she saw Gibbs and Tony enter the room.

"It's nice not to be in a bed," Tony answered as he walked over to Ziva and pulled a bouquet of fire and ice roses, Ziva's favorite, from behind his back.

"Tony, they're beautiful," Ziva said. Raquel placed Ava in her bed and shepherded all of the other nurses out of the room, realizing that the couple needed a minute along. Gibbs followed them out with the excuse of getting Ziva's discharge papers.

"They're to apologize and thank you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me and thank you for giving me such a beautiful daughter," Tony said. A few tears leaked out of the corner of Ziva's eyes.

"Thank you," Ziva said and then she leaned up and kissed Tony.

* * *

After they had gotten home, Ziva had put Ava in her bassinet and then collapsed into a deep sleep on Tony's bed. Tony took the bassinet out to the living room with him and turned the TV. Occasionally Ava would make a noise and Tony would stick his hand in the bassinet and Ava would wrap her tiny hand around one of his fingers. When she became really fussy, Tony took her out of her bassinet and took her back to her nursery where everything was set up. Selecting a book off of the shelf, Tony sat down in the rocking chair and began to rock and started reading the book to Ava.

Ziva woke up, hearing Tony's voice coming from the nursery. She quietly got out of bed and walked down the hall towards where Tony's voice was coming from.

"And goodnight to the old lady whispering 'hush', goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere. The end," Ziva heard Tony say. She peeked her head around the door just in time to see Tony closing a book.

"What were you reading?" Ziva asked.

"Goodnight Moon," Tony said. "My mother read it to me until I was old enough to read, and then I would read it to her. I thought Ava might like it."

"It looks like she did," Ziva said, smiling at the sleeping baby in Tony's arms. Tony got up and placed Ava in her bassinet and then walked over to Ziva and wrapped her up in his arms.

"I missed you, Ziva," Tony said.

"I missed you too," Ziva said, squeezing Tony as hard as she could, afraid that he was a dream and not real. "Tony?" Ziva whispered.

"Yes, Ziva?" Tony asked.

"I love you."

* * *

**Awwww….. wasn't that sweet? This is by far my favorite chapter that I have written. And before I get criticism, I'm sure that everything that was medical in this chapter isn't entirely correct, but hey, I'm no doctor. The book that Tony was reading to Ava was obviously **_**Goodnight Moon, **_**written by Margaret Wise Brown. Please review, it makes me happy!!**


	9. Nightmares and Dreams

Nightmares and Dreams

Two weeks after Tony and Ziva brought Ava home from the hospital Tony was cleared to return to work. The morning Tony was supposed to return to work there was a knock on the door. Tony, who was halfway dressed, in a pair of pants and a muscle shirt, answered the door. On the other side he found Gibbs and McGee standing in the doorway with Jethro on his leash at McGee's side.

"What's this?" Tony asked as he stepped aside and let the trio though the door.

"Since Ziva will be here by herself we want Jethro here to protect her and Ava," Gibbs said. "Where is Ziva?"

"Here," Ziva said tiredly, appearing from Ava's room. She was dressed in boxer shorts and one of Tony's shirts and her hair was a rumpled mess.

"Was Ava up all night?" McGee asked.

"Yes," Ziva said walking into the living room and collapsing on the couch. Tony rushed over to her and covered her up with a blanket and Jethro, who McGee had let off the leash, jumped up onto the couch, whined once, and then settled down at Ziva's feet.

"If you need anything, call," Gibbs commanded. "Even of you just want Abby to come over and keep an eye on Ava so you can sleep." Ziva nodded tiredly, her eyes already closing. Tony, who had finished getting dressed, put the baby monitor on the coffee table, kissed Ziva's forehead, ruffled Jethro's fur and then left with Gibbs and McGee for work.

* * *

An hour after Tony left Ziva awoke to the sound of Ava's static cries over the monitor. She sighed and rolled off the couch and headed to Ava's room with Jethro padding behind her. Ava's eyes were open and she was screaming mercilessly. Ziva picked Ava up and began humming a Hebrew lullaby while she checked Ava's diaper, which was clean.

"You can't possibly be hungry again," Ziva groaned. She picked Ava's pacifier up off of the edge of the changing table and coaxed it into Ava's mouth, who immediately quieted. Ziva gently wiped the tears out of Ava's eyes and carried her into the kitchen, with Jethro following again. Ziva strapped Ava into her baby seat, which was sitting on the kitchen table, and then put the kettle on for her tea. Jethro settled himself on the floor below Ava's chair and laid his head on his paws.

"If you're expecting something interesting to happen, I'm afraid you're going to be sadly disappointed," Ziva said out loud, her eyes on the German Shepherd.

A few hours later Ava had settled down for her afternoon nap in her bassinet and Ziva decided to take a shower. She made sure that Jethro was in Ava's room and then brought the baby monitor, her gun, and her cell phone and lined them up on the bathroom counter. She had been doing that since Asaph had broken in, and she did it regardless of whether Tony was home or not.

Once again, as Ziva was getting out of the shower she heard a noise in the kitchen and over the baby monitor she could hear Jethro growling. Picking up her gun, Ziva sneaked into the hallway. When she peered around the corner, Asaph was standing in the living room with a gun in his hand. AS quietly as she could, Ziva flicked the safety off on her gun and stepped around corner, her gun trained on Asaph.

"Come to finish me off?" Ziva asked. Asaph turned, looking surprised to see Ziva standing there with a gun trained on him.

"Ziva, this is not my choice," Asaph said, apology in his eyes.

"Who sent you?" Ziva asked. "My father, Michael, who?"

"I can't tell you," Asaph said.

"Who?!" Ziva yelled, and she could hear Ava start to fuss in her room.

"Your uncle, Hassaf, he sent me," Asaph finally said.

"Why would Hassaf want me dead?" Ziva asked.

"He knows about Ari," Asaph said, and for a moment Ziva stopped breathing. No one except herself and Gibbs had known about Ari, not even Tony. When it had happened, her father had accepted both hers and Gibbs's reports.

Ziva came out of her memories just in time to see Asaph level the gun on her. Before Asaph even had a chance to pull the trigger Ziva squeezed off two rounds into Asaph's head. She felt the blood spatter her face and she stood there in shock until Ava's cries broke through her consciousness. Dropping her gun, she all but ran into Ava's room and scooped her daughter up into her arms. She then slammed the door shut and locked it. Jethro positioned himself in front of the door, the fur on his back standing up and his teeth bared. Ziva had backed into a corner and slid down the wall, clutching Ava to her chest, eyes trained on the door, unmoving.

* * *

McGee and Tony walked up the stairs to Tony's apartment, Gibbs had let them go early because they didn't have a case and Tony hadn't payed attention all day. When they entered the apartment, Tony called out to Ziva.

"Ziva, I'm home," Tony called as he set his keys down on the hall table.

"Where do you think she is?" McGee asked. McGee didn't receive an answer but instead heard Tony pull his gun out of his holster. McGee did the same and turned around to see why Tony had pulled his gun out. On the floor was the body of a man with two bullet holes in his head. Lying on the floor a few feet away was Ziva's gun.

"Ziva?" Tony called. He could hear Jethro's growls and Ava's cries coming from the nursery, but when he tried to open the door he discovered it was locked. Tony took a few steps back and then kicked the door down. McGee was right behind him and put a leash on Jethro so he wouldn't attack Tony. Tony ran into the room and locked around. Ziva was still in the corner, clutching Ava to her chest. Tony gently pried Ava from Ziva's arms and handed her to McGee and then squatted down in front of Ziva.

"Ziva, what happened?" Tony asked quietly.

"Asaph, he came back," Ziva said, finally coming to her senses now that Tony was there. Then, she realized that Ava was no longer in her arms. "Ava, where's Ava, where's my baby?" Ziva asked frantically, sounding borderline hysteric.

"Ziva, Ava's fine, McGee is holding her," Tony said. He opened his arms to Ziva, who fell into them sobbing.

"My uncle, my uncle sent him, my uncle wants me dead," Ziva said as she clutched Tony tightly.

"It's alright," Tony murmured, "I won't let anyone hurt you or Ava."

* * *

Two days later Eli David shot his brother in his home in Tel Aviv. Ziva finally calmed down and her fear of being murdered subsided, although, she insisted that McGee bring Jethro over every day to stay with her while Tony was at work.

When Tony got home from work that night he found Ziva on the computer.

"Whatcha doing?" Tony asked as he slipped his arms around Ziva.

"Sending pictures of Ava to my father," Ziva answered as she clicked send.

"Well, you need to go get dressed," Tony said, a devilish smile on his face.

"Tony, I am dressed," Ziva said, motioning to herself. She was dressed in a pair of black corduroy pants and a purple v-neck shirt.

"We're going out to dinner, Abby and McGee agreed to watch Ava for us," Tony said.

"Where are we going?" Ziva asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Tony said. "Now, Abby assures me that you have a stunning cocktail dress in your closet," Tony said as he lifted Ziva up from the chair she was sitting on and turned her towards the bedroom.

Ziva was just about ready when she heard a knock on the door and then heard Abby's overly enthusiastic voice echoing through the apartment. Putting the finishing touches on her makeup and strapping on her shoes, Ziva walked down the hallway and into the living room. Abby was on the couch, cooing to Ava, who was nestled into her arms and McGee was next to her while Tony stood over them. Abby saw Ziva first.

"Ziva," Abby said sounding stunned. "You look gorgeous. Aren't you glad I made you buy that dress?" Both McGee and Tony turned to look.

"You look great, Ziva," McGee said. Tony, meanwhile, was speechless. Finally, he regained his senses.

"Babe, you look amazing," Tony said and Ziva blushed.

"Thank you," Ziva said. Her dress was a short white one with flower embellishments on the lower left hand side. Both sides of the dress were lace up and there was a diamond cut out below her chest. Tony held out his arm to Ziva.

"Madame," Tony said, bowing slightly. Ziva smiled and took his proffered arm and allowed him to lead her out of the apartment.

* * *

Twenty minutes and a blindfold later Ziva felt the car slow to a stop and heard Tony put it in park.

"Are you ready?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Ziva said and she felt Tony reach around and pull the ties of the blindfold. They were in the valet line for Ziva's favorite restaurant, Ferrari's. It was an Italian place and an very high end one at that.

"Tony," Ziva cried in amazement.

"I figured that you'd like it," Tony said sheepishly. The valet opened the door for Ziva and helped her out of the car. She walked around the where Tony was and they linked arms.

When they got inside Tony whispered something into the maître de's ear and he immediately took them to their table where Tony ordered a bottle of champagne.

"Tony, this is too much," Ziva said. She had only ever been to the restaurant once, to celebrate Officer Bashan's retirement.

"Well, I figured that you deserved it after all you went through," Tony said, and I remembered that you mentioned you liked it."

Just then the waiter returned to the table with the champagne and Ziva noticed that there was something in her glass. She was about to call the waiter back when it caught the light and sparkled. She picked up her spoon and fished it out of her glass and gasped when she realized what it was. It was a diamond engagement ring.

"Tony," Ziva gasped. Tony took the ring from Ziva and knelt down on one knee.

"Ziva David, will you marry me?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Ziva said and allowed tony to slip the ring onto her finger and kissed him soundly.

* * *

**Yay, they're making it legal!!! Okay, check out my profile for links to see Ziva's cocktail dress and engagement ring. PLEASE REVIEW!!! (Oh, and for those that think Ziva is acting OOC, think hormones)**


	10. Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

**6 Months Later…**

Ziva stood in front of the full length mirror, her mind wandering aimlessly. She had heard that most brides spent their wedding day in a nervous tizzy, but she felt perfectly calm and in control. Abby and Jenny had helped her get herself and Ava ready for the ceremony and they had left a few minutes ago. Now all she had to do was wait for her father to come get her. Her father and her aunt had flown in from Tel Aviv to be at the wedding.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Ziva adjusted her veil and then turned to the door.

"Come in," she called, and was surprised to see Gibbs walk through the door. She had been expecting her father.

"How do you feel?" Gibbs asked as he shut the door behind him.

"Calm," Ziva said, a small smile on her face.

"Not nervous?" Gibbs asked and Ziva shook her head.

"You know, when Shannon and I got married, she kept me waiting at the altar for twenty minutes before she finally calmed her nerves," Gibbs said, smiling in remembrance.

"Okay," Ziva admitted, "maybe I am a little nervous." Gibbs opened his arms, offering Ziva a hug, which she accepted.

"I'm so proud of you," Gibbs said. "You've changed so much. You'll be a great mother and a great wife."

"You know, I've always thought of you as a father figure," Ziva whispered.

"And I've always thought of you as a daughter," Gibbs said, pulling away from Ziva and wiping the lone tear that was making its way down her cheek. "I've gotta go, DiNozzo is waiting," Gibbs said, hugging Ziva one last time and then leaving. A few seconds later, Ziva's father appeared in the doorway.

"Are you ready, Ziva?" Eli asked.

"Yes, Aba," Ziva replied, walking towards her father. He held up his hand and pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Ziva. "What's this?" Ziva asked, studying the envelope.

"Your release papers," Eli said. "Now that you have a husband and daughter, I hardly think it appropriate that you be recalled back to Israel. I spoke with Director Shepard yesterday; you are now an official NCIS Special Agent." Tears welled up in Ziva's eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

"Thank you, papa," Ziva said, using the name that she hadn't used since she was seven.

"I want my daughter to be happy," Eli said.

"Toda, papa, toda," Ziva said.

* * *

Tony stood up at the altar fidgeting nervously. He saw Gibbs sneak up the side of the church and take his place behind Tony, but tony didn't bother to ask him where he had been.

"Nervous?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah Boss, a little," Tony replied. He smiled as he felt Gibbs's hand connect with the back of his head.

"Better?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, thanks Boss," Tony said. Just then the organ started playing and everyone in the church stood up and turned towards the double wooden doors in the back of church. The doors opened and Abby's niece, who was acting flower girl, walked through the doors shyly, followed by Abby who was carrying Ava and then Jenny. Tony heard Gibbs's sharp intake of breath when he saw the redhead enter the room. Ziva had picked a marine blue color dress that came to a stop just above the girls knees. The neckline was pleated and they had thick straps, and Jenny had left her hair down and it was full of tousled curls. Tony smirked to himself; he had known that it would be a matter of time before those two stopped fighting it.

Tony was knocked out of his thoughts by the sight of Ziva. His face lit up when he saw her. She was wearing a strapless dress with glittering beads sewn onto the bodice. Her skirt swirled gently around her legs and the train dragged delicately behind her. Jenny had arranged Ziva's hair into a low, side, curly ponytail and had pinned a white rose into place. Her veil hung over her face alluringly, driving Tony mad with desire. Ziva's father led her down the aisle to the altar and lifted her veil. The smile on her face was brilliant as she looked at Tony and Tony could feel his face stretch into a wide smile of his own. Tony helped Ziva up the stairs and left his hand twined loosely with hers.

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two people in holy matrimony. Who gives this woman away?" the preacher asked.

"I do," Eli said from his seat in the front pew.

"And do you give her away freely?"

"Yes," Eli answered.

"And who gives this man away?"

"I do," Gibbs said.

"And do you give him away freely?"

"Yes," Gibbs answered.

"If anyone knows a reason why these two should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," the preacher said. Abby turned towards the guests and glared at them, daring them to say anything. The preacher continued.

"Marriage is a sacred union, entered into by two people who wish to show their commitment to each other." There were a few chuckles among the guests who knew Tony. "The couple before us today has decided to write their own vows. Ziva, would you like to go first?" Ziva looked at Tony and smiled.

"Tony, you cannot even begin to fathom how much you truly mean to me and how much you have changed my life for the better. Four years ago I could have never imagined myself getting married and having a child and yet here we are. You bring out the best in me and you gave me an extraordinary gift; a little girl. I almost lost you and that was hard for me, especially under the pretense of having to raise a child by myself, but you came through and woke up, and you have no idea how often I thank God for that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you," Ziva said. There were tears in her eyes and she silently thanked Abby for remembering waterproof eyeliner and mascara. Tony looked a little misty eyed as well.

"Ziva, you know that I also would have never imagined myself to one day be a husband and father. In the past I have not always been the best friend and we've had out moments, but we pulled through. You put me through hell every day, worrying about you, and wondering whether I'm going to have to go home one night and tell out little girl her mother is gone, but you always manage to gracefully give in when I try to protect you. The people who know me best know that I have never been particularly strong at the idea of commitment, but you bring out the best in me and I was to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you," Tony said, tears now really coming out of his eyes.

"The rings?" The preacher asked and Gibbs produced the two rings that Tony had given to him before the ceremony. "Anthony, take the ring and place it on Ziva's finger and repeat after me; with this ring, I thee wed." Tony took the ring from Gibbs and slid it onto Ziva's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Tony said, looking directly into Ziva's eyes. Ziva smiled and tried to blink the tears out of her eyes. Ziva took the other ring from Gibbs as the preacher told her what to do.

"Ziva, take the ring and place it on Anthony's finger and repeat after me; with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Ziva said as she placed the ring on Tony's finger. Tony squeezed her hand and then dropped his hand to his side, their fingers still entwined.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo," the preacher said and Ziva's father got up and placed a glass wrapped in a cloth napkin under Tony's foot which he promptly smashed. "You may now kiss the bride." Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva, dipped her low, and thus, they shared their first kiss as a married couple.

* * *

**4 Years Later…**

Ziva was on the floor playing with her two year old son, Aaron, when her daughter, Ava, ran into the room.

"Mummy, look what Pápa got me," Ava exclaimed, presenting her mother with a stuffed replica of Tinkerbell.

"Wow, why did Pápa get you that?" Ziva asked.

"For preschool, if I get lonely, I can hug her and think of you and Pápa and Aaron," Ava explained to her mother. Ziva smiled and ruffled Ava's hair. She mostly looked like Ziva, except for her hair and her eyes. Although her hair was curly like her mother's, it was the light brown shade of her father's and her eyes were a startling green color that pierced your very soul and made you fall in love with her.

"Did you have fun at work with Pápa?" Ziva asked as she picked Aaron up off the floor and took him to the kitchen to clean him up. Ava followed behind.

"Yes, Auntie Abby did my hair," Ava proclaimed.

"I noticed," Ziva said. "Anything else?"

"Pápa put glue on Uncle 'Gee's keyboard," Ava said, causing Ziva to roll her eyes. Just then Tony walked into the kitchen, scooping Ava up into his arm's as he did.

"Can't you ever behave yourself?" Ziva asked as she kissed her husband.

"Nope," Tony answered, a wide grin on his face as he ruffled Aaron's hair. Tony then placed his arm around Ziva and Ava leaned out and wrapped her one arm around her mother.

"Anî ohevêt otchâ," Ava said, stumbling over the words.

"Ti amo," Ziva and Tony replied, looking into each other's eyes.

* * *

**And there's the end. Thank you to everyone who stayed on the ride with me and for all of the supportive reviews!! Reviews are a writer's best encouragement! There might be a sequel, but I haven't decided yet, and if there is one, it will take place really far into the future. Please review this one last time!! **

**Much Love, Vamp!**

Anî ohevêt otchâ – I love you (Hebrew)

Ti amo – I love you (Italian)


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